


everything except rap and country

by howitleft



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Ensemble Cast, Gen, Texting, p5 spoilers, playlists
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:29:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24575341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/howitleft/pseuds/howitleft
Summary: Makoto: Ryuji, the entire discography of the Black Eyed Peas hardly counts as a legitimate character study.Makoto: There's no variety.DRAGON🐉LORD: whats the big deal this is who i amThe Phantom Thieves make playlists.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira
Comments: 61
Kudos: 241





	everything except rap and country

**Author's Note:**

> quick notes:  
> \- I link the playlists via spotify, but in this fic the kids post their playlists on an soundcloud-esque community called ‘velvetroom’. sorry to everyone who doesnt have spotify! :( if you can open the playlists in the desktop/mobile app id 100% recommend you do so; the embed player can be a bit finicky. if you'd rather listen to them all in one go (or without having to click through the player), i have linked all of them down below in the end notes as well!  
> \- this fic VERY MUCH won't work if you have work skins disabled. **it also looks ugly as sin on phones.** please view on desktop if you can!  
> \- all the kiddos are aged up +1 year, so makoto and haru have graduated. goro attends shujin as well bc I couldn’t figure out for the life of me why he’d put together a playlist otherwise. also: none of this rly pertains to the p5 canon storyline or lore, beyond the basics.
> 
> tutorials used:  
> \- [work skins/tutorials](https://archiveofourown.org/series/458134)  
> \- [how to make fb messenger chat](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19249828)  
> \- who am i kidding diana @rime kindly offered to code this all for me when i threw a tantrum after the 10th line of html code ;_; love my wife!!!!!

STEAL YOUR HEART! 🖤 9 OCT at 7:27 PM Makoto Hello everyone. I heard from Akira that you’ve all been assigned homework from Maruki-sensei. Care to elaborate? He’s not answering me right now. ♥ann♥ oh yeah 😲 maruki asked us all to put together a playlist that ‘reflects your inner self’ or something so picking songs that you like best & show off who you are? i guess??? Makoto What an odd thing to demand one week before finals… alibaba guy’s always marching to the beat of his own drum, right? :U maybe he doesn’t feel like grading anything serious. ♥ann♥ akira!!! im soo curious to know what you like listening to alibaba the sound of his own voice i bet httgjdfs idk what to put on this stupid mix (￣ー￣； like when is he even gonna find the time to listen to these. speedrun do you think he would fail me if i just slapped on the evangelion opening ten times Yusuke I would fail you. alibaba i don't remember asking you!!! Makoto Regardless, Haru and I want to help. Perhaps we could provide feedback? Haru ❀ Yes, I'd love to listen! :-) DRAGON🐉LORD hey guys HELL YEA no final paper i knew there was a reason i liked maruki ♥ann♥ what are you talking about.. you were hating on him nonstop when he first got hired  DRAGON🐉LORD yea but thats all in the past now check it alibaba oh my GOD youre gonna get doxxed or something you idiot! remove your last name from the title before i do it for you (｀Д´) DRAGON🐉LORD ?? Makoto Ryuji, the entire discography of the Black Eyed Peas hardly counts as a legitimate character study. There's no variety. DRAGON🐉LORD whats the big deal this is who i am and their albums r all way different u just gotta listen if u dont believe me neway didnt u say it was a bogus assignment Makoto I never said it was bogus. Even so, it’s best to stay diligent. DRAGON🐉LORD idg why ur getting so mad unless............could it b..... ur JEALOUS that we get 2 do playlists for a grade???? alibaba lol, goteeeem Makoto I assure you I have not been ‘got’. Yusuke Makoto is correct.  Constructing your playlist precariously just because you feel the need to get the job over and done with would be akin to fouling the image of one’s true self. alibaba wtf?? you don’t even go here inari >:1 Haru ❀ You’re making a playlist too? :-) Yusuke I am in the middle of curating it. I find it incredibly difficult to gauge which of my favourite songs truly reflect that which I would like other people to see. ♥ann♥ nice one yusuke!! DRAGON🐉LORD dude r u kidding me these r all just old timey songs??? UR IN THE SAME YEAR AS US Yusuke And what about it? DRAGON🐉LORD holy sh*t Makoto At least his playlist contains some semblance of artistic range. DRAGON🐉LORD i already told u BLACK EYED PEAS has MAD RANGE

Goro Akechi Goro Hello Akira. I hope I’m not interrupting you in the middle of anything important? not really Goro Thank goodness. I was wondering whether you’d already gotten started on the playlist assignment. working on it atm sapping creative juices from the group chat Goro Oh, I see. A collaborative group effort sounds extremely helpful. :) I’m having trouble coming up with songs myself. let me add you

STEAL YOUR HEART! 🖤  DRAGON🐉LORD i already told u BLACK EYED PEAS has MAD RANGE hey everyone, I'm adding Akechi alibaba wait what Akira Kurusu added Goro Akechi. DRAGON🐉LORD wtf ♥ann♥ hi akechi! Goro Hello everyone. :) Thank you for the invite, Akira. How is everyone getting on with Maruki's assignment? DRAGON🐉LORD im already done Makoto No you're not. ♥ann♥ its going well!! I actually used to put together cds and trade them with shiho back in first year so this is a cake walk for me  DRAGON🐉LORD what??? u added more than 1 selena gomez song too wheres ur 'range' 🤔 paging th playlist police @Makoto Niijima ♥ann♥ shut up!!! Makoto There’s nothing wrong with her playlist, Ryuji. I think it’s a pretty spot-on representation of who she is. Lively and empowering. Yusuke Indeed. An apt reflection of her pure-hearted character. ♥ann♥ aw 💖 💖 💖 DRAGON🐉LORD what the EFF Makoto Watch your language. Goro I didn’t expect to see Amy Winehouse on this list. Are you a fan of hers? ♥ann♥ yeah I think she’s incredible!! my mum listened to her music all the time when I was younger Goro How sweet :) alibaba and mitski?? ♥ann♥ akira linked me that one 😊 i love her voice! haven’t listened to anything else by her though Haru Yay Ann! I bet Maruki-sensei’s going to adore your playlist! alibaba yeah its gud based blackpink (*´ー`)b DRAGON🐉LORD you guys suck wyd @Akira ?? not done yet DRAGON🐉LORD oh ok no worries bro 👍

lizard 🦎 guy 10 OCT at 2:12 PM ryujiii 😕 annnnnn sup?? so I woke up today to a new friend req on velvetroom some guy called blcmsk but i checked his profile and he only has one playlist up and its REALLY creepy. like really really do you think itd be ok for me to make a new group chat w/o akechi?? its just that we’re not that close and i dont wanna freak him out.. LOL go 4 it

STEAL YOUR HEART (akechiless) Ann Takamaki added Akira Kurusu, Makoto Niijima, and 4 others. Ann hiii i was just telling ryuji about this person who added me on velvetroom, but I have NO idea how he found me or who he is and his saved tracks are like how do I put this Futaba OMFG tracking your activity rn and you are NOT kidding about this dude like if the grinch got put through a blender Yusuke ? What is that supposed to mean? let's hear it then Ann Haru ....... Makoto Um. wow Ryuji wtf my ears???? Ann right??!! Makoto Is this even music? Futaba i’m gonna try to get him banned from velvetroom wish me luck Lo-fi Hip-hop Beats To Hiss And Wriggle Around To Futaba akira this is NOT it Yusuke Ann, Do you have more like this? Ann ummm NO, but ig if you ask him politely for recs he might NOT hex you??? 😟 Haru Yusuke, you like this? Yusuke It's intriguing. I can feel his torment. Ryuji what about OUR torment Yusuke You are tormented by something new every single day. Just last week you were complaining about the removal of the limited-edition Big Bang Burger item, which should have never been brought into this existence owing to its gargantuan portion size alone. That aside, one could argue your playlist consisting of exclusively Black Eyed Peas is a worse assault to the senses than this one. Yours is certainly more monotonous.  Ryuji damn tell me how u rly feel 😬 maybe if ud taken me up on the offer u coulda asked for a takeout box or smth Yusuke It’s enough to feed a small family. The amount of gluttony it’d take to consume the entire burger boggles the mind.  And I would not wish to ask for leftovers. Ryuji ok gimme back my moms tupperware then Futaba can you guys move your lovers quarrel to priv chat Ryuji ?????? Futaba (´∀｀) lol anyway returning to the mystery man in question: look at the lyrics to one of these songs [](https://i.imgur.com/swm8FMb.png) he seems nice Ann youre kidding right?? im gonna message him Yusuke Oh, good. Ryuji PLZ DONT Makoto Akira, have you ever considered simply keeping to yourself when you encounter someone unsavoury? no

  
_This is your first Direct Message with blcmsk. Thanks for listening on VelvetRoom!_

**arsene_lupin** : hello  
**arsene_lupin** : how are you  
**arsene_lupin** : all my friends save for one think your mix is freaky  
**blcmsk** : it’s a good thing i don’t plan on catering to them then.  
**blcmsk** : whose high horse did you ride in on?  
**arsene_lupin** : I’m my own steed.  
**blcmsk** : what?  
**arsene_lupin** : why did you follow pantherrr?  
**blcmsk** : i slipped up while logging out is all. i want nothing to do with her.  
**blcmsk** : her playlists are atrocious. simple bubblegum pop produced for the masses, all of it devoid of any coherent meaning.  
**arsene_lupin** : yes, I’m sure Growly McScream has so much more to say  
**blcmsk** : fuck you.  
**arsene_lupin** : lol  
**arsene_lupin** : let’s be serious for a sec. you ok?  
**arsene_lupin** : I listened to the second half of your playlist too.  
**blcmsk** : did you reach out just to psychoanalyze me?  
**blcmsk** : i assure you i have no want or need for your cheap imitation of concern. nor do i particularly care for YOUR musical interests, ‘j0ker’.  
**arsene_lupin** : how do you know my alt  
**blcmsk** : you can criticize MY favourite artists for being nonsensical as soon as you reevaluate your own demons. just because you want to fit in does not mean you have to listen to the same shitty music your friends do.  
**blcmsk** : what are you even trying to get across?  
**blcmsk** : ‘down with the system’? ‘i want an uprising, but only one that is socially acceptable’?  
**blcmsk** : or don’t tell me. ‘i want to change the world’.  
**blcmsk** : you do realize there’s something disgustingly ingenuine about being obsessed with the idea of rebellion, when the most daring thing you have ever done is steal yusuke a yakisoba pan from the cafeteria.  
**arsene_lupin** : you seem upset  
**blcmsk** : i am NOT upset, you braindead troglodyte. i’m merely commenting on your hypocrisy.  
**blcmsk** : you have no real personality to speak of. every likable characteristic you wield is merely a mirror image of what people wish to see in you.  
**blcmsk** : truly, you are the worst kind of fake.  
**blcmsk** : and nothing about your little mind games will ever net you anything tangible or honest.  
**arsene_lupin** : accept my friend request already

_You can no longer message this user._  


inari 🦊  10 OCT at 4:03 PM Futaba. I cannot help but notice you have yet to post your playlist in the group chat. WHAT urgghhh what's it to you!!! I would simply like to listen. Are you not done with it? I wouldn’t mind reviewing a work in progress. rghgdjkfdmf I beg your pardon? beg all you want inari u_u [](https://i.imgur.com/8hrDbSC.png) holy shit. don't do that fine i sent you an e-mail you're not gonna like it!!! and it’s nothing like ann’s or ryuji’s either...... like i am aware it features entirely too much game and anime music for it to be a respectable "''character study''''' or whatever. but this is what i spent my formative teen years listening to. unfortunately "futaba, WHERES THE RANGE??? we expected more from you!!!" the people (((maruki-sensei)))) cry out. i spit from hte gilded balcony where i am basking luxuriously in a deck chair with a glass of pocari sweat. mercedes from fire emblem is feeding me grapes "thats on you for expecting" i say. maruki hangs his head and gives me an A and i live out the rst of my days in my mind palace with my 50 my little pony tulpas to keep me company hhhhhhhglbl anyway WHAT IM TRYING TO SAY IS that im so freaking nervous handing this in to maruki bc god like what if he plays them all in class and asks us to pair them up with the person. i can barely eat lunch in public without wanting to barf what if he thinks its stupid and childish and all of the songs are crap and im just fulfilling some kind of stereotype and ill never be able to escape this deep-rooted fear of myself/??? and that no one i meet ‘in the irl’ (as you would say) will ever truly understand me bc here i am dipping my toes into basic human interaction 3 years overdue while my other leg is thigh-deep in anime girl quicksand 10 OCT at 5:43 PM I have no idea what you just said. And you’re right. This playlist is not to my tastes. great thanks for sharing You're most welcome. In any case, I should be thanking *you*. The playlist you have constructed is truly eclectic—you have struck an immaculate balance between the obscenely upbeat and quietly introspective, a combination of strong vocals and electronic noise. Though I won’t pretend to understand what the Particle Man song is about. idk i just think its neat Very good. I recognise you in these songs. I believe this display of vulnerability is what Maruki is after as well. You have done a fine job. . ok well thanks inari now i feel like an asshole

STEAL YOUR HEART! 🖤 Yusuke I believe Futaba has something to share with us all.  alibaba hngh ♥ann♥ omg you finished your mix?? DRAGON🐉LORD SHOW Haru ❀ Oh!! We’d be happy to hear it! But you don’t have to show us if you don’t feel comfortable! alibaba h Makoto You can do it, Futaba. We’re all friends here. bring it Goro I'm rather curious myself. alibaba fine you don’t have to click for my sake it’s basically a bunch of nerdy stuff anyway Makoto I’m currently at the library, but I can’t wait to give this a proper listen later. 🙂 Haru ❀ Well done, Futaba! DRAGON🐉LORD GOOD SH*T!!! ♥ann♥ ooooooo I love metric!!! 💕 Goro Such a meticulously compiled list of songs. I think you have good reason to feel proud of yourself, don’t you? Yusuke I wholeheartedly agree. yeah, this is great. alibaba OKKKKKKKK ENOUGHHHHHHHHH jeez (-∧-；)  what about you akechi?? made any progress? Goro How kind of you to ask. I have, as a matter of fact. I just finished. DRAGON🐉LORD dude at least give it a title Haru ❀ Oh!! That's a lot of composers :-O Goro Yes. I find myself drawn to classical. There is much to be said for the emotional weight and narrative beats an orchestra can allude to just by playing alone. And what is life if not an orchestra? Yusuke A mute, washed-out wasteland indeed... DRAGON🐉LORD idk ive never touched a violin and im still bonkin ♥ann♥ shut up ryuji! i think its cute Goro Cute? ♥ann♥ yeah this is soo you!! I can totally picture you slow dancing in your room all by yourself to the nutcracker or something  like one of those little jewellery box ballerinas 😋 Goro How charming. I assure you I don’t, though. :) alibaba krumping it out to debussy Goro I don't do that either. DRAGON🐉LORD debussy?? nice. love me some elevator music Goro What? Yusuke I, for one, would enjoy DRAGON🐉LORD WHOS DEBUSSY Yusuke some Prokofiev-inspired interpretative dance. Makoto ANYHOW. Akira. That reminds me. Have you finished your own playlist yet? The deadline is at midnight, you know. sorry I have 5 part-time jobs and a cat that won’t let me stay up past 10 pm I'll get it done dw

Goro Akechi 10 OCT at 7:53 PM What did you mean by ‘elevator music’? **Seen** 8:35 PM

STEAL YOUR HEART (akechiless) 10 OCT at 9:21 PM Ryuji WTF MARUKI JUST EMAILED ME HE ASKED ME TO RESUBMIT A DIFFERENT PLAYLIST Futaba roflmao he said no monkey business Makoto Sounds like 'Karma' to me. Yusuke ‘I gotta feeling’ he refused to ‘meet you halfway’. Ann LOL Ryuji mannnn cmon

Foot 11 OCT at 10:38 AM yo hope you got everything all sent off to maruki etc etc so i know we’re all done but i couldn’t stop thinking about that one velvetroom ghoul with the haunted house playlist and i did a lil digging and traced his IP address lo and behold this guy shares a computer with none other than akechi goro himself!!! oooo AND isn’t the last track on his playlist from the masquerade suite? BLACK MASK?? MASQUERADE??? HMMM?????  VERY SUSPICIOUS haha, you’re reading into this too much. I knew akechi was black mask as soon as he mentioned Yusuke.  still. you think he *wanted* us to know about his alt account? he was pretty mean to me over chat fool that’s what we in the biz call a tsundere archetype he literally said I was a braindead troglodyte with no real personality, and that nothing I speak for will ever truly be mine because I am, and I quote, the worst kind of fake. oh maybe he's just moody v(´-ι_-｀)v

Goro Akechi 11 OCT at 12:07 PM you sure you like Chopin, or are you more of a discordant screeching set to the beat of dripping water type of guy? Come again? blcmsk. Ah. I’m going to block you now. lol don’t sweat it. only Futaba and I know idc. who doesn’t love wallowing to Radiohead? you should probably leave Ann alone though anyways, I made you a little something I don’t actually think you side with Mozart or Merzbow either way. jazz would be chaotic-instrumental enough for you to dig, right? and you seem like you’d enjoy a good love song once in a while. but maybe I’m wrong I hope you like it.

Goro Akechi 11 OCT at 3:02 PM It's tolerable. Thank you.

Goro Akechi 11 OCT at 8:38 PM I added some stuff to my j0ker playlist too, in case you’re interested I noticed. The Vivaldi rework was interesting. and the other new songs? I don’t know how I feel about those yet.  I’ll have to think about it. take your time.

STEAL YOUR HEART (akechiless) Ryuji that was a p fun assignment Ann sure was!!! Yusuke I enjoyed it as well. Haru Thanks for getting us involved everyone <3 I know Makoto and I would have loved to participate!  Makoto 🙂 Don’t get me wrong, I still prefer traditional homework. Akira, did you ever submit your playlist? yup. Ann WHAT???? but you didn’t link us?? 😭 it just kind of escaped me Ann noooo!!!!! Futaba fork it over!!! Yusuke You simply *must* allow us to listen. We would be honoured to delve deep into the enigmatic workings of your inner psyche. Ryuji chill out @Yusuke k Ryuji 🔥 so pumpeddd Futaba huh Haru Is this it? Ann ? Ryuji hey its not loading for me wat do i do theres only the one song on the list Makoto Akira You submitted THIS for a grade? A playlist meant to encompass everything about you, and all it contains is ‘Happy Birthday to You’? yeah i don’t really listen to music Yusuke How mysterious. Futaba no its a fucking COP OUT!!!! (╬⓪益⓪) Ryuji hey dont say fucking!!! Haru Oh my gosh... Ann but likeee you sent this to maruki?? how did he react?? Makoto Yes. Did he give you a passing grade for this? Please tell me he reprimanded you properly. a scolding from maruki? I have to laugh. Makoto ??? [](https://i.gyazo.com/e59760598d0825e1d48b00e9c2919748.png) he wished me a happy birthday ;)

**Author's Note:**

> this fic was a thinly veiled excuse to have black mask!goro listen to merzbow lol
> 
> here are all the playlists listed once more if you'd like to take a listen without having to click through the embed player:  
> ryuji: [RYUJI SAKAMOTOS BIG BONKIN BANGERS](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ga5gdZlG0edRUkQwNG1oQ) (in case you wanna check out... black eyed peas... no lie though their stuff is genuinely good. im big fan of their newest album)  
> yusuke: [My playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0GMhAdbk2IKlbz4cqyesLZ)  
> ann: [let's go girls!! <3](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Qv8wX23t6qWd9TeeUy8Dm)  
> 'blcmsk': [ALL OF YOU ARE BENEATH ME](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6vtSFjx2LfKStG4OJMtKoX)  
> futaba: [game start](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/338PpAEQbOeMgF6kf7IPj3)  
> goro: [Maruki assignment 10/10](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0SqHe6agDFyznaprNi3mpk)  
> akira's jazz playlist for goro: [I got it bad and that ain't good: chicken soup for the emotionally turbulent soul](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6u65UVPcsW22y75zK65kaH)
> 
> i'm not linking the happy birthday playlist here again lmao, but last but not least, here’s the secret j0ker playlist goro was talking about: [joke's on you](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ksrox4WiycFx8x9iMpFPo). in my mind he’s secretly a big ol music fan who listens to everything (wild card!), but he favours upbeat alt/rock-adjacent songs most of all :^) (and the songs he added after talking to goro are listed after the killers song; sacrilege, michael, and so on)
> 
> thank you for reading! i wanted to try my hand at a short one-shot chatfic and this is the best I could come up with. PLEASE YELL AT ME ABOUT MUSIC AND STUFF!!!!! id love to know what you guys interpret their tastes as being. and another BILLION thanks to diana bc without her help i absolutely would have died.


End file.
